Almost time for my fave day with kids!

It's February! My first February that I'm not spending with middle school kids on Valentine's day, you know: with their over-the-top, drama-induced, tons of chocolate and flowers for their loves kinda day. It looks like this...but everywhere:

Valentine's Day is my fave with kids because I always do Warm Fuzzies....I am hoping to find a classroom to do them with this year! (hint, hint, teachers!)

So what is a Warm Fuzzy? Well, it's a necklace made of yarn that comes with appreciations and complements. Here's one of my former students wearing his at graduation:

So backstory...

When I started looping 7th-8th, I'd always do Warm Fuzzies on Valentine's day in 7th and then tell the kids to save them till 8th grade graduation and wear them under their cap and gown. I figured that most would forget...so you can imagine my surprise when Oscar showed up with his!

But, I digress.

Basically they are just yarn necklaces in an assortment of colors. But then there's meaning behind them. Do you see how he's got little yarn pieces tied to the necklace part? Well, each of those was from a friend at school. What happens is that the kids take a string out from the ball part of the necklace and then give it to a friend, but with a compliment or appreciation. Then, they tie it on their friend's necklace. So when you have all different colors of Warm Fuzzies, their necklaces turn out so cool!

Here's a quick tutorial for making Warm Fuzzies! I'd love to have to try them out this year and then report back about how it goes. I'm telling you - they are golden for middle school...and this year I'm hoping to try with some K-5 kids!

Here we go!

You will need:

Some yarn in a few colors (the more the better depending on how much money you have to burn) and a pair of scissors.

Start wrapping the yarn around your hands until you get a bunch. How much? Shoot for more than less, but once you make a few, you'll know better...

After you've wrapped a bunch of yarn, snip the end, and then cut along the top of your hand.

Then, cut the yarn again in the middle.

Cut one long string to be the necklace part of the Warm Fuzzy.

Tie up all the little pieces and then tie a knot at the top of the necklace, and...

There you have it! If you buy a few different colors you can make solids and mixed colors. The kids will love them!

On the big day:
When you hand them out, make sure you model how to do the appreciations and complements. I usually have one kid come up and we do a demonstration. Don't forget: Take out a little string, give a compliment, then tie it on another's necklace.

I always had the kids exchange first with our homeroom only, and then since we were a middle school team, we would have the whole team get together and exchange, too.

I've been doing this since my first year and I love it every year. It's such a great time to build relationships with your students and as for the kids to be kind to one another, too. I went back through my pics...here's a few I found:

So what do you think? I hope you'll give it a try with your class...I know they will love it as much as my former students did!

Once again, I'm linking up with Two Writing Teachers to share this slice of my life! If you're writing on Tuesday, share your writing with their community of teacher writers!

Happy Tuesday!

February Currently and the Loving Literacy Blog Hop!

ohhhheemmmmgeeeee....it's February already. As my friend Anita would say, "Time is going by so so fast!" Yes it's true! But I would like for this winter to hurry up. It's snowing again in Chicago, but luckily no polar vortex to report, so that's good news!

February Currently! I'm excited for Valentine's Day with the little kids. I hope some of the classes do the little cards and I'm looking for a class to do Warm Fuzzies with....but I will be writing more about those later!

Let's get on with Currently!

I super love Blake! and, I love this song so so much. I finally downloaded it yesterday and listened to it about 10 times on the way home. Love this song, love Blake. Check it out!

This is random, but I love funny memes on the Internet. I was going to write about how I love that show Scandal but then I was thinking I already mentioned that on this blog. I was looking for funny images to go with it and found this:

People are so clever and funny. If you're ever bored, pick a topic you like and search funny memes for it. I bet older students could write funny stuff like this...could this be a quick unit of study for middle school kids at an inconvenient time of school....like the week before spring break? I would love to see what kids come up with!

We had our second Academic Parent Teacher Team meeting a few weeks ago. At our meeting we showed the parents the levels of the books their kinders were reading - Fountas & Pinnell levels A-D and told them the expectations is to get the kiddos to D by the end of the year. The conversation was interesting...There were a few parents who were kinda outraged and thinking it's not developmentally appropriate and we're putting too much pressure on our five and six year olds. (I agree....but I know we can get them there!)

So then I got to thinking about helping the kids meet the expectation. I pulled some level D books and will be writing more about this later, but it's a lot of attending to patterns. Our kids can decode the books and have the 1:1 correspondence, but it's the big picture and inferential thinking that gets them. Stay tuned for more on this!

Winter to end already! Luckily there's no polar vortex going on right now in Chicago, but the snow is coming down! Sometimes it's so cold the heater in my car will barely work and I'm sick of shoveling the snow off my car. I can't wait till it gets just a little warmer so I can start running outside again. I think I'm going to do another 5K at the beginning of summer to have something to work towards. I'm not awesome at running, but that Couch to 5K app works pretty well! I feel a color run in my future! (And a tutu to boot!) Who's with me?

To get back to yoga....Some people tell me that yoga isn't real exercise, but they do not know how much balance, strenght building, and cardio it is (when you're moving in flow with one breath to one movement). Yoga just makes me feel good....it clears my head and makes me pay attention to how I'm feeling. I had to quit because I wasn't using it with grad school and I've just been kinda lazy this winter. You know, when it's like 2 below 0 you don't really want to do anything but be warm in your house...but I'm feeling too lethargic lately - like no matter how much I sleep I have zero energy. So, today's the day. Going back!

I quit grad school....TRUTH! I was not loving it, and I'm not even sure if admin is for me, so yep...dropped my two classes and feel great about it! Now I have more time to do the things I love: write my blog, go to yoga, hang out on the weekends with friends and my fave people!

Speaking of my fave people...

Got back together with the boyfriend...TRUTH! We had broke up for like six months last year and then got back together in November. He makes me happy and things are good! Here's one of my fave pics:

I am moving to California....FIB! If I ever move from Chicago, that's where I would go. Two best friends live in Southern California just north of San Diego, but time isn't right right now....but one day I'll be ready to be done with these winters!

That's all for today! If you're bored this weekend or stuck inside due to cold weather, check out the blog hop I'm a part of: 25 reading experts all sharing their favorite book and free resources to go with it! Freebies in effect until the end of the weekend and then they become paid items, so hop to it! Click the image below to start...and I'm on stop #12!

Have a great weekend!

Loving Literacy Blog Hop: Stop #12: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Welcome to...

Welcome to BigTime Literacy! I'm Michelle and this is my first year as a Literacy Coach, but my 11th year teaching and loving literacy. I'm going to share a great book with you - one in which the character learns what it really means to love another.

But before I get to that, here's a little bit about me...

I actually never knew I was to be a reading specialist or a literacy coach - I was not a fan of reading until I became a teacher. I went back for a Master's in Language and Literacy because I'd have students - as sixth graders - who couldn't read. I had no idea what to do!

Through my coursework, I began reading so much great literature. I'm not sure how I stumbled on The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, but I remember I read it in one sitting (on a raft in my mom's pool in Arizona) one afternoon. To say I fell in love was an understatement. It's a beautiful story of how a china rabbit learns what love really means. He happens to get lost from his owner, and then over the course of his life, bounces around from family to family. Only then does he learn to appreciate what he had.
  

My product is a unit based on this novel. It can be used with third-sixth grade students, as a read aloud and together as a whole class, as a shared reading, or in smaller book clubs. The whole unit focuses on the character development of Edward Tulane and answers the guiding question, "How does Edward Tulane change as his journey progresses?"

Prior to getting started, you will have to give a few mini-lessons on character traits (review meanings) and making inferences. Perhaps the class as a whole will work on the beginning the novel together, and then gradually release responsibility to individual students. Students also need to be shown how to cite evidence from the text to back up their claims about the character traits they select. Details of Edward Tulane's transformation will be recorded on a chart and at the end of the book, students will write a response to literature to answer the guiding question.

The unit includes notes about character development, chapter summaries, and suggested vocabulary. The freebie version includes these notes for chapters 1-5. You will be able to purchase these notes for all chapters if you'd like to! (Please note: I don't have vocab suggestions for all chapters...but most!)

One last little goodie - a stationary page to use for writing those responses. Gotta make the writing cute when you publish!

You can find this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers store at this link. It's free for the weekend! Additionally, if you'd like to purchase the notes for the entire book, you can find those here.

So that's that. A story of one china's rabbit journey to know what love feels like...right in time for Valentine's Day!

Make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' for literacy ideas, TpT products, news, and ramblings of yours truly!

Our hop doesn't end here! Cruise on over to Teacher's Take Out to see what Stacy has for you!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Why I *do not* want to give up teaching

I keep seeing this article in my facebook feed:

I began a comment to reply to someone's post one day, but then decided not to post. Then I noticed it again because another friend, one of my best, had commented on it. And now, today, it came up again, posted by a family member. So, I decided I must reply.

If you want to read the article first, click here.

The author says, "Unfortunately, government attempts to improve education are stripping the joy out of teaching and doing nothing to help children. The Common Core standards require teachers to march lockstep in arming students with "21st-century skills."

I say: Well, yes, politicians are making laws that impact our teaching. But, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are better than what we used to have: each state with their own standards and no way to compare progress state-to-state. So I say, that's a win.

I also say: No one is stripping the joy out of teaching for me. The CCSS isn't making it harder to be a teacher, it's just refining my focus. You can still do all the things you did before - you just need to make sure you are using assessment to guide your teaching, which is what good teachers do anyways. The author mentioned not teaching her favorite novel. Ummm...the CCSS didn't tell you to do that. There are still literature standards in the Common Core! What it does say is don't only teach literature - expose kids to nonfiction, too. And guess what? That's important!

The author says, "The Smarter Balance program assumes my students are comfortable taking tests on a computer, even if they do not own one."

I say: Totally agree. It's going to take some time for the kids to get used to completing the test on a computer, but remember how technologically savvy our kids are? I think this may be a bigger problem for teachers than kids. They'll be fine. Plus: I'm sure someone, somewhere, is doing a study about testing on a computer vs. testing on paper. New research will emerge. Be patient.

The author says, "My most important contributions to students are not addressed by the Common Core, Smarter Balance and teacher evaluations. I come in early, work through lunch and stay late to help children who ask for assistance but clearly crave the attention of a caring adult."

I say: I totally agree. These tests and evaluations don't measure these things, or if children are avid readers, have favorite authors, or are kind and compassionate people. As teachers, we see those things in our students, just like our principals see those things in us. I don't think these changes make principals out 'to get' anyone. They are a measure of accountability, but at the end of the day, I know that my work ethic and contributions are valued at my school. There isn't a test or evaluation that is going to tell me that. It all lies in trust and the relationship I have with my boss. I have been lucky to work for *amazing* administrators. And...if the day came that I didn't feel that way, it would be time to move on. Bottom line: Our principals are well aware of all the great things we bring to their school, and there isn't any test or evaluation document that would change their mind.

The author says, "Until this year, I was a highly regarded certified teacher. Now, I must prove myself with data that holds little meaning to me. I no longer have the luxury of teaching literature, with all of its life lessons, or teaching writing to students who long to be creative."

I say: Okay, I've been careful not to go overboard about the woman who wrote this article, but this is ridiculous. She no longer has the luxury of teaching literature? There are ten standards that revolove around literature! (For anyone not in education, don't be so quick to believe every piece written on the Internet!) Also, I am sure she is just overreaching. I'm sure she's still highly regarded as a certified teacher. This isn't the first year of standardized testing, and that data is just one piece of the puzzle! Remember what I said about trust from your admin? Same thing applies here.

The author says, "Teaching is the most difficult — but most rewarding — work I have ever done. It is, however, art, not science."

I say: It's actually both art and science. There is a science to how we implement instruction. There are certain things we can do as educators to enhance our lessons: State objectives, define key vocabulary, have kids work in cooperative structures to equalize participation and build language among ELL students. We can give assessments to measure how well we did and then go back and reteach or enrich based on what the data says.

But it is also art. In college, no one taught me how important it is to build relationships with kids. No one taught me that sometimes kids just need a hug. No one told me to go to Jesus' house every morning with the School Resource Officer and pick him up because he couldn't read and didn't like school. No one told me buy supplies for the girl who couldn't afford them or show up to soccer games and talk to the families of the kids I teach. No one taught me those things and no test measures it - that is the art of teaching.

Teaching is, in fact, both an art and science.

Teaching isn't easy. There are a lot of demands. Often times it is overwhelming. But if I didn't teach, I wouldn't have got this text from Lillian yesterday:

Or met a best friend:

Or met awesome kids who make me laugh and teach me patience (among other things) every day:

Petie was in my very first class!

Singing the school song....

Or got a Master's in Reading:

Or found my favorite book (The Giver) and shared it with multiple groups of kids:

Or taught (and had fun with) the most amazing group of teachers:

No job is perfect. There's always going to be something about it that isn't awesome. Since most people went to a public school, they think they know what it's like to be a teacher...but attending school isn't the same as teaching it. Anyways, good or bad, not sure what other career could offer all this...and a snow day.

Your thoughts?

Stay warm!

On quitting...

Life is too short to do anything but what we love. We only get one life, gotta make the most of it, right?

In my free time, some of my favorite things to do are...

• On the weekends, waking up slowly and reading facebook or playing Candy Crush in bed before I get up.
• Drinking a cup of coffee while I look at the sale ads
• Writing a blog or working on a doc for TpT
• Going to yoga (haven't been in ages)
• Binge watching some TV on NetFlix
• Hanging out with friends and/or the bf
• Reading a book

Some of my least favorite things to do on the weekends:

• Homework for grad school

I've been complaining about this since I started last fall. Every weekend, the homework is like a weight just sitting there on my shoulders, waiting to be taken care of.

I'm working on a second master's - in admin. I have no desire to be admin right now...not even sure ever! Last week, in my HR class, we were working on predicting enrollment for future school years. That doesn't sound like fun at all. And if I was doing a job where I was predicting enrollment, where would the kids be? Probably in another building, as I'd be working at district office. So there's a problem:

I love kids!

I love curriculum!

I decided last night, after the fifth conversation with my best friend, that I should drop my classes this semester. So that's exactly what I did. And let me tell you: I feel great!

I don't want to spend my weekends doing homework (or worrying about doing it). I want to do all those things I listed above and really relax and unwind from the week. And I already have a Master's, so I'm not sure why I felt like I needed another one. I guess it was something I could do while I have the time and no kids and big responsibilities at home, but it doesn't make me happy.

So, I quit my classes and now I have all day to work on my blog hop blog for next weekend. I bought ingredients for a new recipe, too: Green Chili so I can make that and not feel stressed about doing homework.

Plus, I'm really interested in that Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce and finding out about how I can teach an undergrad literacy class at a university. Additionally, a friend just emailed me about getting involved with the National Writing Project, which sounds amazing. I've also been wanting to take a class on graphic design so I can make my blog look better and figure out how to make my own clipart.

I guess I wanted to finish that degree because I was worried about disappointing people - the best principal mentors who drop everything to put beautiful words of recommendation down on a paper for me. Also: myself. I didn't want to drop my classes because I don't like quitting things. It's not like I can't do this degree - I could totally finish it and even with a 4.0...I'm just not interested.

I need to stay close to kids, and even as a Literacy Coach, I still have Anabelle, Naylani, and Rodrigo next door in third grade who talk to me all the time, my group of four boys in second who I teach guided reading to every day, a bunch of kinders who I'll hear calling, "Hi, Ms. B!" as I walk through their hallway. And can't forget my fourth and fifth graders who I see at the end of the day for our reading intervention group. Every day they ask if they get a new book, and every day they are all smiles to see what I share with them! Love kids!

So, I say - do what you love. When you do, it never feels like work.

Are you doing what you love today?